The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Feast of St.
Brigit of Kildare

A Meditation: “Called to the Messengers of God’s Liberating
Love”

Relax and become aware of your breath.

As you breathe in and
out, be conscious that the boundless love of God

fills your being… Divine love goes before you and behind
you..

encircles you, your
loved ones, and all creation forever…

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon and Anna saw a light that
shone in the darkness of rejection and opposition that Jesus would encounter…

Prophets Simeon and Anna remind us of the light of
God’s Spirit accompanies us in the
darkness, no matter what the obstacles, challenges, heartaches we face in our
lives and in our world…

St. Brigit of Kildare’s attitude of openness and generous
welcome to all provides a model for us especially for the many people
marginalized or even anathemized by their traditional religion. She lived the
spirit of Jesus as advocate for justice and compassion to those in need…

Like Simeon, Anna and St. Brigit of Kildare , we are called
to be messengers of the light of God’s liberating love to all especially those
who are in need.

A table blessing attributed to Brigit reminds us that God’s
justice will triumph at the Banquet of Love…

Let us live as if Brigit’s vision is a reality now….

“I should welcome the
poor to my feast, for they are God’s children. I should welcome the sick to my
feast, for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest
place, let the sick dance with the angels. “

It's not easy, 2000 years after the fact, to relate to the holywritings
of our tradition. We live in a different time, a differentculture. We see
the world differently, know a reality that would nothave been recognized by
our ancestors in faith. And they lived in aworld view that we find equally
foreign.

Today's readings present us with that challenge. Our first
readingspeaks about what Michael Morwood calls "an elsewhere God"--one
wholives above the clouds and will be sending a messenger to purify
thiswayward people. Our psalm asks God to listen to us, as if God
hadears. In our second reading, Paul talks to the Hebrews in terms
ofwhat we now call "atonement" theology, presenting God as sending
Jesusto earth to die so he could make up to God for our sins. And
intoday's Gospel Matthew tells us about the traditional Jewish custom
ofpresenting an eight-day-old child at the Temple--that part we can
stillrelate to, given our Christian practice of presenting infants
forbaptism--but then he adds the testimonies of Simeon and Anna, in
whichthey foretell Messiahship for the baby in speeches that amount
topredestination theology.

In 2014 we see the world differently. We
believe that God's divinepresence is not only elsewhere but everywhere, in
everyone andeverything, each of us called and anointed to bring light to
theworld. We understand creation to be enormous, stretching into
themultiple universes of outer space. That leads us to the question
ofwhat we are to make of these texts. We cannot take them literally,
inthe way that most of us were taught as children. We can't read themas
history, or biology, or cosmology. We have to search them for thefaith truth
they hold.

One of the ways to look at these readings that fits with our
currentunderstanding of creation is to recognize Jesus as a unique
expressionof the divine. With Matthew, we can imagine in the infant Jesus
thedivine spark that would eventually set fire to the disciples and
theworld. Jesus, our model of life and prayer and justice and
peace,truly brings light to the world.

Matthew's story of Simeon and
Anna recognizing the future greatness inthe infant Jesus reminds me of one
of my own family's legends, a storytold often in the gatherings of my
childhood. It seems that, on themorning I was born, my father phoned his
sister in Toledo to share thenews. Aunt Lillie shrieked with joy, "I knew
when I woke up thismorning that something wonderful had happened in the
world, and now Iknow what it is!" Every child's birth should be greeted with
thatkind of recognition of the spark that has flamed up in a new
andunique expression of God among us. Too often in our world, thatdivine
spark is quenched and the flame flickers out. We know thetragedies:
injustice thwarts and demoralizes, poverty stunts andkills, abuse weakens
and warps, trafficking molests and murders.

This is Super Bowl weekend.
Millions of us North Americans willgather to enjoy the game, have fun with
family and friends, sharefood. It's a tradition of our culture. For too
many, though, theSuper Bowl will be an occasion of violence and degradation.
They arethe children, women, and men who will be victimized when they are
soldfor sex or enslaved for work. Large sporting events provide an
easymarket, a lucrative business opportunity for traffickers. The
SuperBowl has been called the single largest human trafficking incident
inthe U.S. Toledo is a hub for sex trafficking. We have the
appallingdistinction of ranking fourth in the nation.

Shedding light
on the crime of human trafficking is the key tobringing this issue out of
the shadows. I have seen some of you atthe vigils, praying and calling
attention to the issue. Our localreligious sisters are collaborating with
faith communities of otherdenominations to raise awareness of this crime.
They will soon openRahab's House right here in Toledo, a facility that will
sheltertrafficked women and shepherd them into freedom.

On this same
Super Bowl weekend we celebrate the Presentation of Jesusin the Temple, our
traditional day for blessing candles to symbolizethe light of the world.
Like every other person on this planet, eachone of us is born to be light to
the world. As we continue to workfor social justice, each of us as
individuals and together as acommunity, let us be thankful that we are
blessed with the ability tolet our light shine. So let's let it
shine!

Friday, January 31, 2014

St. Brigit was born in 494 to a Christian mother and a pagan father. There are many stories about her that are steeped in the druidic folklore of the early Celtic goddesses. According to the Old Irish life of Brigit, Archbishop Mel ordained her a bishop. She founded a double monastery of women and men in Kildare where celibate and married monks and nuns lived in what today might resemble a Christian village. According to Cogitosus, her biographer, she co-presided at Kildare with Bishop Conleth. St. Brigit of Kildare was quite a character! She was known for her compassion to the poor. One time, she gave away her father's sword to a beggar. Is this an early example of distributive justice to help the poor and stop warfare at the same time?! Another time, she gave away Bishop Conleth's vestments to the poor, but mysteriously, they reappeared before he celebrated liturgy! Many healing miracles were attributed to her. See my book, Praying with Celtic Holy Women for some delightful tales! Join me on a Celtic Mystical Journey from Sept. 3-12th, 2014 in Ireland. For more information, email me at sofiabmm@aol.com

On the eve of St. Brigit's feast, children in Ireland often weave St. Brigit's crosses out of rushes and hang them over the door in their homes. When I celebrate ordinations, I wear a large St. Brigit's cross as my pectoral cross.

Our family always displayed a St. Brigit's cross in our home. It is not unusual in Ireland to see St. Brigit crosses hanging over barn doors as a sign of protection for animals. St. Brigit is often depicted with a cow. I used to have a statue but when the statue fell, the cow broke off.

There are many wells that celebrate the blessing of St. Brigit in Ireland. I prayed at two in Kildare, one in Faughart, and one in Liscanor near the Cliffs of Mohr. In the photo above, I am standing next to items and notes of thanks for healings and/or prayers for healing hung on the wall in front of the well. On one occasion, I brought back at least a gallon of water from the holy wells in Ireland and used the blessed water in healing rituals, and shared with anyone who wanted it.One of my favorite Celtic prayers is: “Brigit’s Table Grace”

I
should like a great lake of finest ale

for all the people.
I should like a table of the choicest foods
for the family of heaven.
Let the ale be made from the fruits of faith,
and the food be for giving love.
I should welcome the poor to my feast,
for they are God’s children.
I should welcome the sick to my feast
for they are God’s joy.
Let the poor sit with Sophiaat
the highest place
and the sick dance with the angels.
Bless the poor, bless the sick,
Bless our human race.
Bless our food, bless our drink, all homes,
O God embrace.

St. Brigit of Kildare stained glass window in St. Patrick's Chapel, Ballyroan, Ireland

Peace activist Janice Sevre-Duszynska has spent time in various jails around the country, but says she’s never encountered anything as wretched as Kansas City’s police detention unit. Miriam Pepper | The Kansas City StarKansas City’s detention unit on the eighth floor of Police Headquarters offers spartan accommodations.
“This is an appalling place to be, undignified for any human to be,” she said last week, recalling her experience July 13 when she was part of a group taken to detention on the eighth floor of Police Headquarters after a demonstration against Kansas City’s nuclear weapons parts factory.
“You go to jail, you don’t expect it to be the Hyatt or the Marriott,” she conceded. “But it was very archaic and rundown.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/29/4786034/kansas-city-seeks-to-shutter-its.html#storylink=cpy

"The critical point is contrition, and I don't think any of the defendants are contrite about what they did," the judge said. "The defendants will not be given acceptance of responsibility."

Thapar also denied the defendants' claim that they deserved leniency because they believed their "criminal acts" at Y-12 "were committed to prevent a perceived greater harm" (the possible use of nuclear weapons). Thapar said, "I understand that the defendants perceived a greater harm, but I think the United States has a different point of view."

The judge still will hear arguments for departure based on the argument that the case includes "special or unusual circumstances." Toward that end, the defense called four character witnesses, each of whom praised the defendants as committed peace activists who were led to nonviolent direct action out of their love for creation and humanity."

There was much to like in President Obama's State of the Union speech last night. I really appreciate the President's focus on issues of equality such as equal work for equal pay, raising minimum wage and immigration reform to highlight a few of his goals for our country in 2014. Pope Francis's critique of economic in justice should motivate us to adopt changes that help all people flourish: ‘“Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.”

The achilles heel of the U.S. Roman Catholic hierarchy is its opposition to implementing contraception coverage offered in the Affordable Care Act for its employees. This too is an issue of conscience and justice for women in our country. Women need to have affordable birth control as part of their basic health care coverage so that they can "live and thrive" and stay out of poverty. The hierarchy must treat women as equal images of the divine in every teaching and mandate if they are to be a moral voice for justice in our world.

NETWORK's National Social Justice Lobby's Response to State of the Union

The bipartisan, lengthy ovation for
Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg, the grievously wounded Army Ranger, served
as the most compelling message of President Obama’s State of the Union Address
last evening. In a touching tribute, the president described how the young man
sacrificed so much and worked so hard to come back from his injuries.
Thankfully, he did not have to struggle alone for, as President Obama noted, he
had grown stronger “with the support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the
community around him.”

Caring for one another, hard work
and service to the nation, along with opportunity and fairness, are bedrock
American values. That is precisely why there should
be strong bipartisan support for many of the issues the president spoke about in
his address. Equal pay for equal work should be a given, along with healthcare
for those previously denied insurance because of preexisting conditions. We must
repair our tattered immigration system, which divides families. And it is simple
justice that no full-time worker should have to live in poverty. President Obama
was right to highlight all of these needs, and more.Sadly, the present hyper-partisan
Congress has found it almost impossible recently to come together in support of
such commonsense principles. We trust that will change, and we call on Congress
to make that happen for the good of the entire nation. If
it does not, we fully support President Obama’s use of executive orders to
promote the common good. His current action to raise the minimum wage for
government contract workers is a good first step.The
inspiring story of Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg also served to remind us
of the terrible costs of war and that violence in any form, whether it involve
the use of armed drones or direct combat, creates unacceptable suffering in our
world. That is why we strongly support the president’s call for diplomacy to
address international threats. We
heard applause when President Obama stated that “when women succeed,
America succeeds.” That goes for everyone—women, men,
children, people at the economic margins, people struggling to find a job,
families able to purchase their first home, and everybody else in our nation.
And that is why addressing injustice, including huge wealth and income
disparities, helps everyone—the 100%.As
Pope Francis recently stated, “Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’
sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also
have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an
economy kills.” Our entire nation deserves to live and to
thrive.We
strongly agree with the president that this can be “a breakthrough year for
America,” but we need congressional action to fully
realize that dream. NETWORK intends to lobby, organize and educate throughout
the year to make that dream a reality.

Press Release: NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Responds to President Obama’s State of the Union Address FOR RELEASE: January 29, 2014 CONTACT:Stephanie Niedringhaus, 202-347-9797 x224, sniedringhaus@networklobby.org

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Today Jean Brgant, Janet Blakeley, Sally Brochu, Carol Ann, and Lee Breyer and I shared a joyful interfaith Eucharistic liturgy with a gathering of homeless folks at Sanctuary of Sarasota which is coordinated by Vallerie Guillory and a group of generous volunteers. I met Vallerie at the World Day of Peace on Saturday at the Unitarian Church in Sarasota. She invited me to do a service. "I have called everywhere looking for a priest or minister to do a service, she looked at me pleading, but could not find anyone who would come, will you come?" I said yes! Then at our Sat. evening liturgy I shared Vallerie's request with members of Mary Mother of Jesus Community. Immediately a ministry circle volunteered: Jean, Janet, Sally, Carol Ann and Lee said they would join me this week and Jack Duffy said that he would report for duty the following week!

Carol Ann, in blue, Janet, right in white and Jean behind Carol Ann

I prepared a two-page Interfaith Eucharistic Service.Today before we left my home, I told our group that we were on our way to a new spiritual adventure. Indeed, we had never heard of the shelter and did not know where it was located. But, after one wrong turn we found it. Sarasota Sanctuary is located in a large field, behind the Dealer's Choice on the west side of 301 as you are going south out of Sarasota, When we arrived we saw round 60 people, mostly men, sitting under an open tent like shelter, some folks were sorting clothes and others were cooking on the grill. Once we arrived Vallerie introduced us and the our interfaith Eucharistic service began.

cross given as gift

It was a honor to worship on this holy ground with God's people who have so few material goods but whose smiles touched our hearts. We invited all to receive the sacred bread and grape juice. Most did, some did not. All were respectful. As I gave each one the Eucharist, I said: "my brother/ my sister, you are the Body of Christ," And so they are! God's words to us is "whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, that you do unto me."

homeless guests gather for lunch after liturgy

After we concluded our interfaith Eucharist, volunteers served food to the gathering. Several women coordinated the clothing distribution and an artist told us she had come to paint a mural on the trailer that served as their center. One gentleman gave me a hand-woved cross, a gift that I will always cherish that was made by one of the young women in the group. When we were leaving, Vallerie hugged me and said "You rock, Missey!"I will never forget our first spiritual adventure at Sarasota Sanctuary. We will be returning. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

Peace activists from both coasts and across the US gathered to support Megan,
Greg and Mike. Plenty of media also .

From right to left: Women Priests Diane Dougherty, Janice Sevre Duszynska and MaxObuszewski at Festival of Hope,a interfaith prayer vigil where activists who came from as far away as both east and west coast to supportSr. Megan, Michael and Greg for theirwitness to peace.

Peace activists hold banner in support of Sr. Megan, Michael and Greg in Knoxville, TN at sentencing hearing

Four character witnesses spoke including friends Kathy Boylan from Dorothy
Day CW in DC and John LaForge from NukeWatch. Mary Evelyn Tucker, a professor of
religion at Yale, spike eloquently about Megan and her work for peace.

Earlier a spokesperson for the company that runs the y-12 plant at Oak
Ridge told the courtroom that the government was billed $53,000 for damages caused
by the Plowshares We found those fees outrageous.

We sang "Hold On "and waved to Megan, Greg and Mike and they smiled as
they wer e taken out.

Unexpected
snow Tuesday in East Tennessee delayed the sentencing.

The federal courthouse in Knoxville closed early Tuesday and the trio's
sentencing hearing will continue Feb. 18, said Sharry Dedman-Beard, a
spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney William Killian.

Janice Sevre Duszynska, ARCWP, www.arcwp.orgBridget Mary's Response:Our country should be giving Sister Megan, Michael and Greg, a peace award for their prophetic witness to the importance of ridding our world of weapons of mass destruction through work for justice and peace for all. Why do we have thousands of nuclear weapons to destroy the world how many times? It is insanity and money can be spent better on the needs of the poor and on education and jobs for a decent living. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Take ACTION Now- You Can Help! Write letters for justice!

On 28 July 2012, peace activists Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed echoed Guevara's sentiments through the means that each activist must strive to do throughout their lifetime - put their political philosophy into practice.

They peacefully engaged the U.S. Military and Nuclear Industrial Complex with a measure of fortitude that many tout, but only few actually exercise. With the intent to take symbolic action against the mere existence of nuclear facilities built to exemplify our country's commitment to pronouncing, maintaining, and expanding its military nuclear warfare capabilitythese individuals proceeded uninhibited through maximum security Oak Ridge Y-12 Nuclear Facility in Oak Ridge, TN only to be confronted once they reached the core of the newly built half-billion dollar Highly-Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility (HEUMF)...

Write to them. The addresses are listed below:

Gregory Boertje-Obed 22090

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

***

Michael Walli 4444

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

***

Megan Rice 22100

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

You must make sure to include your entire return address on the outside of the envelope. No staples or paperclips can be included in your mail; no oversized envelopes. Magazines and books must be sent directly from the publisher or bookstore/Amazon. Photocopies of brief articles are likely to be permitted (based on our past experience). If you include inappropriate material or fail to comply with these rules, your mail will not get through—it will be returned to you.

From the Transform Now Plowshares website: "Our purpose with these letters is not to reargue the case, nor is it to condemn nuclear weapons production—the judge is not engaging those issues at this time. Our purpose is to address the legal system’s distortion of the nonviolent action of the TNP resisters and to provide support to the judge for a sentencing decision that takes into account the nature of their action and their nonviolent behavior throughout their action."

..."God took human history seriously and so fulfilled promises God had made earlier to a Simon and to a faithful widow, Anna. God became a real human being; God took on our humanity – why? Other clever people said God became a human being so that we could become God. The epistle of St Peter speaks daringly of us as partakers of the divine nature...God loves us with a love that will not let us go, a love that loved us before we were created, a love that loves us now, a love that will love us forever, world without end. A love that says of each single one of us: “I love you, you are precious and special to me, I love you as if you were the only human being on earth, I love you and there is nothing you can do to make me love you more because I already love you perfectly.”How incredibly, wonderfully, it is that God says to you, to me: “There is nothing you can do to make me love you less. I take you, I take you very seriously, I take you – you – body and soul, you the visible and the invisible of you, I love you, I love you, I love you.”(Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa)

six questions, which their lawyer delivered to Bland Jan. 23. The full text for each defendant can be accessed here[2].

1. If North Korea, China or one of the Middle Eastern countries dropped a nuclear bomb on a U.S. city tomorrow, would that change your opinion about nuclear weapons?

Janice's Response:

“Could the dead be brought back to life?What restitution is there for losing a child, a sister or brother, a parent, relative or friend? There is nothing that can replace a human being.

I know…I lost my mother when I was 16 and the oldest of four. I also lost my younger son when he was 18.

We know from experience that the death of a loved one causes grief beyond measure and it takes a long time before those left behind can gather their soul and breathe without feeling their heart aflame in the fires of hell. In fact, one never recovers completely.

Instead, we learn to transform our suffering and loss into doing good in the world to bring about the Kin-dom. Bringing about the Kin-dom, not Kingdom. Jesus in the Gospels is not about hierarchy or relationships of a domination/subordination paradigm. Rather, he calls us to friendship –

Sunday, January 26, 2014

http://concernedcatholicsmt.org/silenced-but-not-silent-these-priests-are-moving-right-along/"All three men have spoken out or acted in ways that have drawn the ire and severe reprisals from Catholic Church authorities. They have been punished in various ways for their dissent from either Church teachings or policy or both. The one thing they have in common is that they will not be kept down or silent in the face of injustice..." Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Fr. Tony Flannery, Fr. John Dear

Ernesto “Che” Guevara said, ‘the true revolutionary is guided by a feeling of great love'. On 28 July 2012, peace activists Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed echoed Guevara's sentiments through the means that each activist must strive to do throughout their lifetime - put their political philosophy into practice.

They peacefully engaged the U.S. Military and Nuclear Industrial Complex with a measure of fortitude that many tout, but only few actually exercise. With the intent to take symbolic action against the mere existence of nuclear facilities built to exemplify our country's commitment to pronouncing, maintaining, and expanding its military nuclear warfare capabilitythese individuals proceeded uninhibited through maximum security Oak Ridge Y-12 Nuclear Facility in Oak Ridge, TN only to be confronted once they reached the core of the newly built half-billion dollar Highly-Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility (HEUMF)...

Write to them. The addresses are listed below:

Gregory Boertje-Obed 22090

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

***

Michael Walli 4444

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

***

Megan Rice 22100

Irwin County Detention Center

132 Cotton Drive

Ocilla GA 31774

You must make sure to include your entire return address on the outside of the envelope. No staples or paperclips can be included in your mail; no oversized envelopes. Magazines and books must be sent directly from the publisher or bookstore/Amazon. Photocopies of brief articles are likely to be permitted (based on our past experience). If you include inappropriate material or fail to comply with these rules, your mail will not get through—it will be returned to you.

From the Transform Now Plowshares website: "Our purpose with these letters is not to reargue the case, nor is it to condemn nuclear weapons production—the judge is not engaging those issues at this time. Our purpose is to address the legal system’s distortion of the nonviolent action of the TNP resisters and to provide support to the judge for a sentencing decision that takes into account the nature of their action and their nonviolent behavior throughout their action."